This invention relates generally to compounds containing amide and carboxyl groups. The compounds are useful in processing of crude oil.
Certain petroleum products, including heavy crude oils, which include materials referred to as “tars,” “petroleum tars” or “tar sands,” are rich in asphaltenes, metals and resins. The presence of these types of compounds can lead to various problems in the recovery, transportation, treatment and refining of crude oils, including increased viscosity, formation of stable emulsions, fouling and corrosion. U.S. Pat. No. 5,948,237 discloses a particular class of α-amido carboxylic acids as asphaltene dispersants, but does not disclose the compounds used in the present invention.
The problem addressed by this invention is to find a composition suitable for improving processing of petroleum products.